The present invention relates to modular printheads for digital printers and in particular to pagewidth inkjet printers.
Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending application, PCT/AU00/01445 filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on Nov. 27, 2000. The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference. Also incorporated by cross-reference, is the disclosure of a co-filed PCT application, PCT/AU01/00239 (deriving priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. PQ6058).
Recently, inkjet printers have been developed which use printheads manufactured by micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques. Such printheads have arrays of microscopic ink ejector nozzles formed in a silicon chip using MEMS manufacturing techniques.
Printheads of this type are well suited for use in pagewidth printers. Pagewidth printers have stationary printheads that extend the width of the page to increase printing speeds. Pagewidth printers are able to print more quickly than conventional printers because the printhead does not traverse back and forth across the page.
To reduce production and operating costs, the printheads are made up of separate printhead modules mounted adjacent each other on a support beam in the printer. To ensure that there are no gaps or overlaps in the printing, it is necessary to accurately align the modules after they have been mounted to the support beam. Once aligned, the printing from each module precisely abuts the printing from adjacent modules.
Unfortunately, the alignment of the printhead modules at ambient temperature will change when the support beam expands as it heats up to the operating temperature of the printer. Furthermore, if the printhead modules are accurately aligned when the support beam is at the equilibrium operating temperature of the printer, then unacceptable misalignments in the printing may occur before the beam reaches the operating temperature. Even if the printhead is not modularized thereby making the alignment problem irrelevant, the support beam and printhead may bow and distort the printing because of the different thermal expansion characteristics.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a printhead assembly for a printer, the printhead assembly including:
an elongate support member for attachment to the printer;
a printhead adapted to mount to the support member, the printhead having and array of ink ejector nozzles formed in a substrate material; wherein,
the support member is formed from a plurality of different materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion and configured such that the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the support member is substantially equal to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate material.
In some embodiments, the support member is a laminar beam with any odd number of longitudinally extending layers of at least two different materials wherein layers of the same material are symmetrically disposed about the central layer. In a particularly preferred form, the laminar beam has three longitudinally extending layers where the two outer layers are a first material and the central layer is a second material.
In other embodiments, the printhead is made up of a plurality of printhead modules adapted to mount to the support member at respective mounting points spaced along the support member; and
the support member is a composite beam made up of segments of at least two different materials arranged end to end, wherein,
between any two of the mounting points of the printhead modules there is at least part of at least two of the segments such that the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the support member between the points is substantially equal to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate material.
Preferably, the substrate material is silicon and the arrays of ink ejector nozzles are formed using MEMS techniques.
In some preferred forms, one of the materials is invar, and at least one of the other materials has a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than that of silicon.
It will be appreciated that the use of a composite support member made from at least two different materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion provides an effective coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially the same as silicon.
Forming the composite beam by bonding different segments of material end to end will prevent bowing as long as the segment combinations repeat in accordance with the module mounting xe2x80x98pitchxe2x80x99 or spacing. Each combination of different materials extending between the mounting points of the printhead modules must have generally the same effective coefficient of thermal expansion as silicon. Simply ensuring that the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the whole beam is about the same as silicon will not ensure that the modules remain aligned as the coefficient between any two adjacent mounting points may be higher or lower than silicon, thus causing misalignment.